Qualifications for Merit Badge Counselors

The following is taken directly from the 2015 edition of the
Guide to Advancement (BSA Publication 33088 - SKU
620573) and should be read by all Merit Badge Counselors.

7.0.1.1 Qualifications of Counselors

People serving as merit badge counselors must maintain registration with the
Boy Scouts of America as merit badge counselors and be approved by their local council
advancement committee for each of their badges. This includes those working at summer
camp or in any other group instruction setting, or providing Web-based opportunities.
See “Counselor Approvals and Limitations,” 7.0.1.4. There are no exceptions. For
example, Scoutmasters must register as merit badge counselors and be approved for
any badge they wish to counsel or sign off in their troop. Before working with Scouts,
counselors must have completed Youth Protection training within the last two years.
They must be men or women of good character, age 18 or older, and recognized as
having the skills and education in the subjects they cover. It is important, too,
they have good rapport with Scout-age boys and unit leaders.

It is acceptable for a counselor registered in one council to approve
merit badges for Scouts in another. This is an important consideration, especially
in areas where counselors are scarce, when Scouts are away from home and want to
continue advancing, or when merit badge experiences include Web-based components
provided by someone in another council..

Several badges involve activities for which the Boy Scouts of America has implemented
strategies to improve safety, enhance the Scouts’ experiences, and manage risk.
These activities often require supervision with specialized qualifications and certifications.
Merit badge counselors who do not meet the specific requirements may use the services
of helpers who do. Additional details can be found below, and also in the Guide
to Safe Scouting and the merit badge pamphlets.

General Supervision Requirements

Swimming and watercraft activities must be conducted in accordance with
BSA Safe Swim Defense or BSA Safety Afloat, respectively, and be supervised
by mature and conscientious adults at least 21 years old and trained in the
program applicable. Counselors for merit badges involving swimming or the use
of watercraft must be so trained, or use helpers who are.

All physical activities presented in any Scouting program must be conducted
in accordance with “The Sweet Sixteen of BSA Safety.” These 16 points, embodying
good judgment and common sense, can be found at
www.scouting.org/HealthandSafety/Sweet16.

CPR instruction, wherever it is required, must be taught by people currently
trained as CPR instructors by a nationally certified provider. Several such
providers are mentioned in the Guide to Safe Scouting.

The following merit badges have special qualifications or certifications
for either the merit badge counselor or the supervisor of certain activities that
may be involved. Counselors and advancement administrators should consult the merit
badge pamphlets for details and to maintain awareness of changes and updates as
pamphlets are revised.(See the footnotes on the individual web
pages linked in the list below for the details applicable to that badge)

All certifications listed above must be current.

The required qualifications above for merit badge counseling and supervision
not only assist in managing risk, but also give counselors credibility. Scouts will
see them as people of importance they can look up to and learn from. A well-qualified
counselor can extend a young person’s attention span: More will be heard and understood,
discussions will be more productive, and true interest developed. The conversations
can lead to a relationship of mutual respect where the Scout is confident to offer
his thoughts and opinions and value those of his merit badge counselor. Thus it
is that social skills and self-reliance grow, and examples are set and followed.

In approving counselors, the local council advancement committee
has the authority to establish a higher minimum, reasonable level of skills and
education for the counselors of a given merit badge than is indicated in “Qualifications
of Counselors,” 7.0.1.1. For example, NRA certification could be established as
a council standard for approving counselors for the Rifle Shooting or Shotgun Shooting
merit badges.

Additional Information on Merit Badges, with lists of resources for study is
available at the Meritbadge.org website, which,
is not directly affiliated with the USSSP, but whose operators work closely with
the USSSP. The worksheets on both meritbadge.org and usscouts.org are prepared by
the same Scouters and are identical.

Required for Eagle

The following 17 badges are on the list of badges in requirement 3 for Eagle
Scout.

A Scout must earn 13 of them for the rank of Eagle Scout (and 8 others, of course).
Therefore, certain of them are options for others. A Scout may choose any combination
of these 17 merit badges to fulfill requirement number 3 for Star and Life Scout.
(He must have a minimum of 4 of these badges for Star and a minimum of 7 of these
badges for Life) Click here
to see which badges in the list are options. On July 15, 2013, the new Sustainability
merit badge became 16th badge on this list as an alternative to Environmental Science,
On January 1, 2014, Cooking merit badge was added as a 13th required badge for Eagle,
and 17th badge on the list.

The following is a list of all of the 136 current Merit Badges, arranged into
14 logical fields of activity (categories) as they appear in the BSA Pamphlet "Worksheet
for Building a Merit Badge Counselor List" (No. 04439) (with new badges added in
appropriate locations).

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